Pages

Wednesday, 3 September 2014

WQ: Week 7 - The Next UK Star To Appear On US TV?

Disclaimer: I assume by now you know what this is about. If not, check out our previous questions and pop an email to AWBAblog@gmail.com if you want your answers to be included.

This week I asked, what with Devitt about to appear on NXT and the second season of TNA's British Bootcamp show seemingly in full swing:

Who Do You Think Will Be The Next UK Star To Appear Regularly On US TV?

A bit of a long-winded question, so let's start up with a to-the-point answer from Marco Piva:

"Assuming that you already consider Fergal Devitt an US "regular"... I'd go with Rampage Brown. That man has just about everything: power, charisma, a good moveset and the maturity to just jump in any wrestling context."

"Well I'm guessing we can't include Grado as we know he will be on TNA British Boot Camp so I am more inclined to believe that Noam Dar will be the next breakout star. He has the look, right age, skills and would fit perfectly in ROH, TNA or NXT."

"Obviously, the winner of the upcoming British Boot Camp series is going to pretty well for itself, should TNA survive into 2015. The jury’s out on that at the moment, but having attended the show at York Hall in London last month, there are quite a few people who could do quite well in TNA. Without giving any of the finalists away, let’s just move into my own personal picks.Dave Mastiff has the look of an old school hoss-like wrestler who will kill you and eat you. That’s something that’s wildly different than other people on TNA or WWE at the moment. Bray Wyatt may be the closest thing to that but he’s more psychological than clubbering.However, considering I focus mostly on women’s wrestling, my attention is continually drawn to that aspect, so I would say that Nikki Storm is TV-ready. She has the over-animated facial expressions and reactions, is an entertaining promo, wrestles smart and has a style which means she could work multiple times in a week. Whether her voice holds up will be another matter, as she always seems to yell herself hoarse!"

"Grado. With him going to TNA British Bootcamp and just hitting the US now for a couple of events, I can see Grado being the next big thing in America. Kris Travis and Noam Dar are probably the best wrestlers in the UK today and I could see either of them turn up and make an iMPACT! in the US, be it with TNA or NXT. The great thing is, the UK scene is that strong, you have a huge list of guys that could very easily make it across the pond."

I have to echo Billy's sentiments that there is a list a mile long. Even though I come up with these questions, I never really have an answer in mind until it comes time to write these things up. But here is who I would choose:

"I'm going out on a huge limb here, because I know he is really relatively new (doesn't even have a CageMatch profile at this point in time!!), but I'm drawn to suggest Joe Hendry. Okay, maybe 'next' is a little stretch, but for a wrestler who could eventually appear regularly on US TV, Joe just looks like a wrestler, has supreme confidence in every single thing he does, and has the strength to back it up. Be it wrestling, singing, making a nuisance of himself or even just eating a burger, Joe can control any audience and engage them in what he is doing at any given time. That is a stellar quality.But that's a bit of a cop-out, as I think Joe is more of a "eventually" guy than a "right this minute" guy. Someone who is "right this minute" is Nikki Storm, able to captivate in any role, she has a character that is easy to translate to any audience around the world - either the frustrated shorty who takes out her anger on her opponents, or the physically over-powered underdog. In either role, Nikki could carry this out week after week easily. On top of being a great wrestler, this ability to connect and be fluid with her persona would go a long way being a TV regular."

Tod from Surely Crabtree is up next. Fresh off of creating two new podcasts (check them out on iTunes by searching "Surely Crabtree"), Tod took the time to give us this great, fleshed out answer:

"I think British Bootcamp will obviously feature UK stars but in terms of appearing on US TV as an in ring talent I've no doubt it'll be Devitt, although it's a cheat as he's obviously Irish. But personally it sounds to me like they believe he can make an impact (excuse the pun) the working name is 'Fergal' which is a nod to the fact they see him as a known entity, he will likely get the chance to work alongside or against KENTA which should be helpful to them both and I think within a few months both of them will appear on Raw or Smackdown as well as the NXT show. Adrian Neville is the other obvious contender and I even think they may appear at a similar time (see below) but I just have a feeling that at 33 and with KENTA and Steen coming in at the same time it feels like they may want to move Devitt forward quickly assuming he settles into the working style and the culture (he will!). I believe in Devitt so much that I think he might be the catalyst for a very exciting rebirth of the great upper mid card which we haven't had in WWE since the end of the attitude era.

Let me explain. Bryan will be back in the next six months (I hope!), they have Steen, KENTA and Devitt who they clearly feel good about and all of them have the ability to work a slightly different style. They will need to adapt a little but I think the audience will love seeing a mix of these three, along with Bryan, Ambrose, Cesaro, Rollins, Neville and maybe even Wyatt (who loves the Japanese style). It feels like the 'Smackdown Six' era when there was the potential to interchange a bunch of guys in tag and singles matches all trying to elevate each other. They don't need crazy story lines, in fact I personally think it maybe interesting to see Heyman in the mix somewhere as an antagonist looking for people worthy of being the next true 'Heyman Guy'. It doesn't need to end with someone working with him, just him being seen as booking them or antagonising them against each other (without managing them).

Perhaps even without that angle they could produce something as soon as Survivor Series with a traditional 5 vs 5 of NXT guys vs main roster guys who are pissed at them for trying to take their place (say Tyson Kidd, Slater, Gabriel etc). Showcase for all ten guys, not much storyline needed and a good pull for 'smart fans' who will like the talent in the match. What a PPV opener that could be!

Anyway, that's fantasy booking! But it excites me and I think ultimately it will lead to Ambrose being the next huge star with Devitt being a very high level performer and to a gentle shift in the working style which only makes sense given the talent coming through. So my answer is firmly Devitt."
Very cool idea - the new Smackdown Six sounds awesome!!

"Very tricky this one, I think Grado has probably the biggest chance to be the next just purely due to popularity and current exposure on TV. He's already confirmed for British Bootcamp and it would be foolish of TNA to not utilise him with his name being so popular. If I could pick names to appear then I'd probably say either of the Coffey brothers, Kris Travis, Tommy End, Nikki Storm and someone who I'd love to see make it big would be Fiona Fraser."

"They can have anyone but Grado!! I don't think the 'murcians will get his humour. Or maybe I'm just being selfish and want to keep him all to ourselves!I think that someone like Joe Hendry would do well because of his gimmick. Female wise I'd like to see Nikki Storm do well. She works hard and deserves it. Nikki and Kay Lee Ray have already started to break through in America with the likes of SHIMMER, which could open up a regular TV spot in the future as some of the fans will already be aware of their work."